


Fire Scales

by Canadiantardis



Series: Cana's Bad Things Happen Bingo [8]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Attempts on harming oneself and friends, Brownie Patton, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Are Siblings, Elf Logan, Gen, Half-Naga Janus, Hallucinogens, Janus has a not good time, Light Angst, Logan feels bad man, Non-Consensual Drug Use, One Shot, Remus language, Restraints, Spider Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Werewolves Creatitwins, no ships only friends, worried friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24259369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canadiantardis/pseuds/Canadiantardis
Summary: Blinding pain. His body was on fire. Someone was burning him alive, his lungs were full of smoke!Janus’ eyes snapped open, but he still saw nothing. The world was blackness around him, and yet he still felt the tongues of flames lick at him, searing into his veins until he had to scream.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, platonic DRLAMP
Series: Cana's Bad Things Happen Bingo [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674190
Comments: 26
Kudos: 71





	Fire Scales

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Desolate_Smog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desolate_Smog/gifts).



> Des requested the Kind Restraints, with "Hallucinating Deceit trying to tear at his facial scales/scar and/or the others too"  
> Sorry this took a while to get written, this was requested before we even learned Janus' name!!

The one time Janus waved away Virgil warnings. His friend wasn’t even at the party, Logan was watching the drinks, everything was fine, and Janus wasn’t going to be gone that long. He just needed to go to the bathroom. Things were just _fine._

The lie was sweeter than whatever had been spiked into his drink.

Logan swore he looked away from the drinks for less than twenty seconds, and hadn’t seen anyone come near the table in that time. He was always good about that, the bookworm.

The fruity taste of Janus’ Cosmopolitan temporarily hid whatever had been put into his drink until the aftertaste. It was too late to reject it from his system and _damn_ did it work fast.

Logan said he had no idea who had done this, or why, as he struggled hard to get himself and Janus out of the party as quickly as fucking possible. Janus’ body didn’t want to cooperate, despite his mind begging and ordering it to just _walk._

They thought they were lucky. They had gotten out without _much_ incident, and had hailed a taxi easily enough. Logan looked horrifically guilty, repeating himself and his apologies. He thought as an elf he should have known better, kept a better eye on the situation, but it was too late to turn back the clock and see who had done it.

The drive went on agonizingly slow. So slow. Janus thought he could count the milliseconds slower than counting the seconds. The naga-shifter had to focus hard on keeping his form small for the car they were in, but it was getting more and more difficult as time went on and the drug of whatever fully entered his system.

As it entered, he felt his head dampen, like someone had put clouds and several thousand cotton balls around his brain until he could barely feel anything. Any of his reactions he would normally have, such as freaking the fuck out, were numbed to the point he was numbly worried about why he wasn’t losing his shit.

“Hey, hey, don’t fall asleep.” Logan lightly slapped at his cheeks several times, but it did nothing. Janus felt himself slipping. “Jay, you gotta stay awake for me, okay? We’re almost home, stay with me.”

Janus wanted to, he really did, but things were blurring together and he could barely keep his eyes open. Maybe sleeping it off would help…

He barely felt his shoulders be shook as he let the last dregs of consciousness leave him.

* * *

_Blinding pain. His body was on fire. Someone was burning him alive, his lungs were full of smoke!_

Janus’ eyes snapped open, but he still saw nothing. The world was blackness around him, and yet he still felt the tongues of flames lick at him, searing into his veins until he had to scream.

He thrashed around, screaming fire. _Where was he? Why was he there? Why did everything hurt? He had been with Logan, the last he knew. Where was his friend?_

Distorted voices came to his ears, indistinct and all he could think was how these must be the people setting him alight. _He knew he hadn’t been the best person for many years, but this treatment was downright inhumane! What had he done to deserve this hell?!_

“Let me go!” He bellowed, shutting his eyes as a wave of flames lit his face, burning him until even the protective scales on his face felt like a brand. “Let me go! Let me g- _ahhhh!”_

The voices continued, but Janus heard nothing specific. He couldn’t even tell who was speaking, if they were familiar or tormentor or stranger. Not like he cared anymore anyway. His scales were burning into his fleshier, human skin around his face, his neck, his body. He had to get rid of them, shed them before they melted into his skin, rip them from his body before they fused together.

He scrambled to scratch, rip, tear, _something_ to get rid of the scales outlining his face, but something stopped his arms. _Was he restrained? How long had he been tied down? What was happening??_ He pulled and yanked as hard as he could, using all the strength he had, ignoring - or maybe unable to notice - how the voices turned concerned, single shouts of alarm as he felt whatever was holding his arms down finally bend, allowing him to feel something other than the extreme pain of the fire that he couldn’t see, even if they were his claws. He must have shifted out of his small human form while he had lost consciousness, and some itty bitty part of him was impressed how whoever took him had been able to secure his tail.

“It burns!” He begged, straining with all his might to free even one hand when foreign hands, full of fire and poison, grabbed at him everywhere. “No! Let me-” He barely got the words out before he screamed wordlessly, pain overtaking every single thought in his head.

It was no surprise, really, when his consciousness had had enough, and fled back to the calm blackness he had fallen into before in the taxi.

* * *

Everyone was absolutely terrified at the sight before them. A fully shifted Janus writhed around Logan, who was barely able to hold them both up. Logan had struggled getting out of the taxi, tipping the poor driver well for the trouble.

Virgil was the first to reach them, his multiple arms grabbing Jay’s tail to ease the weight issue from the poor elf. Remus was right behind him, with his brother, and the four of them brought the writhing half-naga into the house.

“What happened?” Virgil demanded, a few of his extra eyes glaring at the elf.

“I don’t… I wasn’t paying closer attention. Something got spiked into his drink. He’s been complaining about something itching or…” Logan shook his head. “He lost consciousness a minute and forty seconds ago, just moaning about pain he was suddenly in.”

“Something…” Virgil looked like he was about to murder someone, but at that moment Janus' tail thrashed violently, and he had to focus on not letting the strong limb free to hurt anyone. “We have to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.”

Everyone knew what that meant. Each one had been placed in it at one point or another, although it had been originally bought for the brothers during the full moons. Patton watched with large, concerned eyes, but ran ahead to ready the room. Logan would normally help but he still could not find himself letting go of his friend.

They shuffled Janus into the largest closed off room in the house. It was more the basement of the house. There was a heavy silvered door and all the walls and ceiling were silver coated, and cinderblock flooring under the heavy carpets. Because it had been fashioned for Remus and Roman, the silver was necessary to dissuade them from breaking out if they happened to get out of their restraints.

Patton stood on one of the beds, the restraints open and ready, and the added ones that would fit Janus’ tail were in his hands. He was biting his lip, bouncing from foot to foot on the mattress.

“How long does he have to stay in here?” He asked as the other four brought Janus to the bed. The half-naga was slowing down in his movements, luckily, but no one knew what was in his system, nor what it would do to him.

No one knew the answer. Logan simply shook his head.

They had to work together to properly restrain Janus, the larger beings holding him down as Logan and Patton tied him to the bed. Once he was completely restrained, Patton jumped around to reach the pillow and put a hand on his face.

“He’s really warm.” He said, uneasy.

“We’ll just have to watch him until whatever it is finally leaves his system.” Logan sighed. He looked so guilty for causing their friend unnecessary pain and stress.

“Set up a schedule, bookworm. Decide who watches when.” Virgil ordered, his words no longer as biting as they had been outside.

“Right. Right, I can do that.” Logan nodded, and shut his eyes. The rest had to wait only a couple minutes, looking between the elf and the restrained fully-shifted half-naga, before he formulated a proper watch schedule.

“Okay. Hour blocks. I doubt any of us will be willing to sleep. Remus, then Virgil, then Roman, then Patton, then myself and if Janus is not yet better by the time my hour is up, cycle through the list again.” He said, pointing to each person he mentioned in turn.

“Sounds good, bookworm. Howl if you need backup.” Roman patted his brother on the shoulder, who laughed at the idea of needing help - he still would call for the others if anything happened that he couldn’t contain himself - and shooed the others up the stairs and out of the room.

It was going to be a very long night.

* * *

It was during the switch from Virgil’s watch to Roman’s when Janus went batshit. He let out a blood-curdling scream and thrashed in his restraints, his face twisted in agony. Both Virgil and Roman were immediately at his sides, checking over him, trying to find what was hurting him. The restraints weren’t hurting him, they all knew the cuffs weren’t capable of truly hurting anyone, and Virgil had had Patton triple-check that they weren’t too constricting or tight.

“Le-me go!” Janus screamed, but it was like his tongue was too thick, slurring the words ever so slightly. He seemed to try to speak more before another wave of pain washed over him and the two could only frantically look between each other and their drugged friend.

“Guys?” Roman stepped away to bark up the stairs. “We’re gunna need some help down here!”

Remus and Patton barrelled down the stairs together, with Logan not far behind.

“Jan, hey buddy, you’re okay, you’re okay.” Patton called, allowing one of Virgil’s extra limbs to pick him up and deposit him near Janus’ head. “You’re going to be okay.”

“I-burns!” He hissed in pain, thrashing worse, and they saw how he was bending the metal frame with his pulling on his arms.

“Woah, woah, Snitties!” Remus shouted, grabbing one arm and holding it down to the bed with all his strength.

The moment he touched Janus’ arm, the half-naga yowled, his face pinched in agony as if Remus were hurting him. He seemed to work on instinct now, his fangs bared and lashed out all around him, barely missing Patton who had to scramble to an edge of the bed.

The others grabbed at their friend, Logan grabbing the smaller fae and putting him on the other bed to stay out of harm’s way. Janus screamed and sounded like he was pleading before he went quiet, and the room was filled with the sound of panting.

“What… happened?” Remus huffed, his hair standing more on end than normal.

“Is he okay?” Patton asked, bouncing on the other bed to try to see over the larger creatures.

“He just passed out.” Virgil answered, nervously clicking his words, and he shook his head. “Nothing happened. He just woke up screaming.”

“Whatever these people put into his system seems to be causing him to hallucinate.” Logan mused. “He almost was lucid. His ears moved when he heard us speaking, and he seemed to know we were with him but he didn’t think it was us.”

“What do we do about this?” Remus demanded.

The elf sighed and rubbed his eyes, pushing his glasses up. “I… I don’t know. We have to wait until whatever they put in him leaves his system. We just have to keep him safe until then.”

The group groaned and settled around the room. None of them were willing to leave Janus’ side now.

He woke up once more in the same fashion. Screaming about something burning and to be freed before passing out. He was a little more coherent and all of his words weren’t slurred around an uncooperating tongue. Still, when he was somewhat conscious, he attacked anything that moved, and for a reason none of them understood, it included if he moved. His claws tried to swipe at his own face but each brother would hold down his arms when he struggled to free himself.

The rest of the time waiting went with bated breath. Time ticked away, with Logan giving the occasional exact time when one of the others nicely asked.

Finally, early morning reached them when Janus woke up without screaming. He gasped, instead, his eyes shooting open and frantically looking around. Virgil had been on the ceiling, above them all when Janus woke up, and he dropped in surprise, crumpling in on himself.

“Jan!” He cried, and the rest of the group roused as one. “You’re awake, are you?”

“Wh-” The half-naga’s voice was rough from the stress of the night and he cleared it, hissing roughly. “What happened?”

“You got drugged when you went to that little shindig with Lolo, Jay. Are you feeling any better?” Patton asked from the other bed.

“Pat? Ugh, everything hurts.” He shook his head, blinking rapidly.

“You put up a fight, almost bent the restraints.” Logan commented, and Janus flopped back, relaxing.

“That’s why.” He sighed. “Am I staying in for observation, then?”

“We don’t know if you’re going to attack one of us or yourself again, so yes. Maybe for a couple more hours.” Logan answered.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Virgil asked, his extra limbs rubbing against each other as if he were trying to replicate a grasshopper.

“Oh! You should eat something, when you can handle it!” Patton cried.

“Water would be great, actually.” Janus said, wiggling to get comfortable with the restraints.

“Yes, food will be beneficial for us all.” Logan commented, helping Patton off the second bed so he could get up the stairs on his own, Virgil following after him. “I… cannot properly express my regret for your current predicament, Janus.”

“Logan, it’s okay. A dumb mistake. I’ll be better in a few hours, so could we forget about it?”

“I… Not for myself but I may attempt to not bring it up in all future conversations.” Logan answered and the brothers rolled their eyes.

“Just as long as you’re done partying with the elf, Jay-Jay Slinks.” Roman chuckled lightly.

“Yeah! The bondage beds are for howling nights!” Remus said with a dramatic pout, ignoring the annoyed groans made by the others in the room. “Not for your dumb snitties.”

Janus rolled his eyes with a tired smile. The others were all relaxing now that he was awake and aware of the world around him, although he was fairly tired from the events of the night.

Maybe next time he wanted to go to a party, he wouldn’t buy any drinks, or keep it on him the entire time, even to the bathroom. The experience wasn’t very fun, he was certain Remus would agree with that. At least they had been prepared, and no one had been physically hurt - while Janus was sore and hurt a bit everywhere, none of it was because he had sunk his claws or fangs into anything - so he counted this as a win for dumb shit they’ve been through.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [ LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
> Feedback
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